George Stoney's film about a rural midwife in the American South.

Story of a midwife in rural Albany, Georgia.

15:02:52:16 MS large heavyset African American midwife at ironing board ironing clothes and folding clothes.

15:03:11:15 MS of a poor middle-aged Black couple who look as if they have just moved; removing their belongings from the bed of a truck, several chairs including a rocking chair, a mirror, and a Tide logo visible in the background.

15:03:21:03 MS white doctor with stethoscope around his neck looks alongside a white nurse looking inside of Black patient's mouth.

15:03:26:05 African American woman lying in striped pajamas in bed (possibly in the hospital) with bright smile. She excitedly is handed her adorable newborn child who is fast asleep. She warmly snuggles against her baby wrapping it under the covers.

15:03:45:04 Wall of photographs of African American babies pinned onto wall. MS pregnant woman talking to midwife in background the pictures of the children. The midwife has delivered 1400 babies.

15:05:07:19 VS Black woman in a white dress sits in profile facing a white nurse in a black shirt and nurses apron with stethoscope around neck. Nurse places a thermometer in the woman’s mouth under her tongue; good CU of Black woman with thermometer in her mouth. CU of nurse checking woman’s pulse on her wrist. MS nurse checks blood pressure. Great CU of nurse pumping air to check blood pressure.

15:06:07:03 CU nurse drawing blood from the arm of the patient.

15:06:15:22 Nurse injects the blood she drew from the patient into a test tube to be corked and sent to the laboratory.

15:06:38:07 MS both white nurse showing African American midwife facing camera looking at two test tubes and both nod.

15:06:55:21 VS of doctor and nurse examining an African American patient in hospital robe. CU light shining in patients face. Doctor examines woman’s mouth with tongue suppressor.

15:08:50:14 Two cute Black children, one boy and one girl, with older man, perhaps father, handing them bundles of sticks.

15:09:47:11 CU shot-reverse-shot of midwife from young child’s perspective, and the child from the midwife’s perspective.

15:09:54:11 VS Black pregnant mother and midwife holding little girl’s hand walk her to the expected newborn’s crib with only a white doll in it. Midwife lifts the doll of the white girls and brings it up to the face of little black girl. Powerful CU of Black girl kissing the white doll through the prison-like bars or spokes of baby’s crib.

15:10:21:09 VS audience of midwives in aprons and nurse hats or bonnets. White doctor in dark suit and tie standing behind a table speaking to the African American midwives with white nurse in black dress and apron seated to his left opposite Black midwives. Good MS and CU of attentive midwife audience.

15:11:52:02 VS Black midwife practice tying of the umbilical cord with string on a practice baby doll while a white nurse watches over her shoulder, supervising.

15:12:12:13 Great MS of white nurse in profile leaning over a white doll baby demonstrating something about the dolls hands while young African American midwife sits in the center of the frame behind the doll watching the demonstration.

15:12:27:18 African American midwife in coat and bag in hand emerges out of the shadows of dark and rundown city street and walks down sidewalk toward camera; once reaching the camera she turns the corner and walks down dirt road or alley way away from camera disappearing back into the shadows of the night.

15:13:21:01 MS seated African American woman, mid-twenties early thirties in coat and African American man in coat about same age, both look terribly sad and defeated.

15:13:25:03 Shot-reverse-shot MS low angle of midwife in coat and hat, left shoulder facing camera and looking back and down toward man says to him with authority “You people seem to be new around here to me.” Frontal MS of man looking up to midwife replies “yess’m.”

15:13:32:17 MS large midwife facing camera asks woman “Well how far are you along with this pregnancy honey?” MS young woman on striped couch looking fearful, scared and distressed.

15:15:01:07 VS CU African American patient with sore on the corner of mouth examined by white doctor and nurse.

15:15:43:01 Lobby of a health center. Two African American women sitting beneath sign “Having a Baby? Here is one days supply of good Food” with food on a table below.

15:15:55:27 VS white doctor sits down in his office with African American midwife and African American pregnant patient. Good footage of nonverbal communication between patient, midwife and doctor indicating symptoms of headaches.

15:16:20:01 CU doctor examining the swollen ankle of the pregnant woman.

15:16:29:12 CU Doctors hands counting to three with his fingers.

15:16:36:08 CU doctor pointing out details of patients chart with his finger.

15:16:51:22 MS doctor in glasses, white shirt and tie points out something on first one then two test tubes. Doctor compares clear test tube with murky test tube.

15:17:27:06 VS pregnant b=Black young woman standing opposite white nurse in apron over a table of healthy food: two eggs, box of Del Monte prunes, leafy vegetable, yam or sweet potato, bag of Jim Dandy Hominy Grits. Sign on the wall above the food table “Having a baby today? Here is one day’s supply of good food.” Interesting shot sequence of white nurse talking to Black woman to CU of Black woman’s hand paging through a magazine on the food table with a smiling white woman holding a white baby sucking its thumb.

15:18:05:26 Black woman in white dress and dark sweater outside of decrepit crumbling rural country house or shack with corrugated metal roof chopping wood. Followed by great sequence of poor bBack woman walking through her rundown house.

15:18:57:16 CU black woman’s face in dirty bathroom mirror; bugs and flies crawling around and Arm and Hammer Baking Soda in corner of frame.

15:19:05:02 Powerful scene of poor disheveled African American woman sitting down on unmade bed with quilted blanket next to a fireplace, looking sad, defeated, deep in thought. On other side of bed collapsed box which reads “Fragile.” Woman opens a box and takes out magazine with picture of white woman holding her white baby on back cover. CU woman dramatically drops magazine between her feet. CU woman crying to maudlin music.

15:20:26:11 Two cute African American children, siblings, fast asleep, are tucked in by father with quilted blanket.

15:21:07:12 Nice CU bare bulb illuminated centered in frame.

15:21:39:22 MS nice composition of ticking alarm clock.

15:23:59:01 CU man’s legs and shoes rocking in chair.

15:24:04:14 Two African American kids, boy and girl, asleep in bed together under quilt.

15:25:57:21 Man rocking in rocking chair in front of fireplace; MS children asleep in bed.

15:26:50:19 VS midwives thoroughly washing their hand in washbowls with lots of soap. Great CU soapy hands being washed.

15:28:42:09 Midwife cleaning African American woman’s vagina in preparation for giving birth. Begins long sequence of woman in labor.

15:29:56:28 Cross-cutting CU vagina with baby’s head emerging and MS woman agonizing in labor. Long labor sequence.

15:31:59:27 Baby’s head emerges from woman.] with midwife delivering baby. Baby fully exits the body umbilical cord still intact. Baby begins to cry. The umbilical cord is tied off. It is a boy.

15:34:50:18 Baby crying. Umbilical cord is cut. Midwife covers up baby’s bellybutton or remaining umbilical is covered up with gauze.

15:26:11:09 Newborn baby is wrapped in a blanket and placed in a crib.

15:36:37:26 Placenta exits the woman’s body then is taken and wrapped in newspaper and burned in the oven.

15:44:13:26 Poor African American man in dirty clothes, pants and jacket, chopping wood outside of raggedy wood shack.

15:50:59:08 Black woman in bed in striped pajamas with little Black girl with a white doll sitting next to her.

15:53:31:07 CU scared Black woman lying down. LS white doctor using lamp to look between Black woman’s legs while white nurse comforts her.

15:54:23:29 Father taking photo in photo booth with his cute baby in a white hat. Sign above the camera “Look at the…Smile” dissolved into adorable framed photograph of father and child.

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